Realizing that our justification does not depend on our own faithfulness actually has the effect of making us more faithful. Similarly, realizing that there is no such thing as beyond God helps us to be certain that there is no hope for ourselves beyond or besides God. Want to see the devil "walk the plank?" Just kneel at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, because there the devil has to wade through Jesus's blood to reach you, as the country and western song puts it. What's worse, make him wade through Christ's blood without his false teeth! What? That's right Jesus smashed all the devil's teeth when he crushed the devil's head at the cross. He still has his roar but no teeth. (Winston Churchill once said he simply provided the roar for the lion that was !940's Britain.) So he has a false set. Guess where he got them and continues to get them. From you and me when we lose control and "bite and devour" each other with our words, which scripture admonishes us not to do. It's good to be substitute teachers for the community but let's not be substitute TEETH for the devil!

Tradition has it that the Apostle Paul was beheaded by Nero, Emperor of the Roman Empire. If you think about it though Paul's true 'head" was Jesus Christ who had already been "cut off" fulfilling prophecy at that same place to which we keep returning; the Cross.